While we were on the line, Digital Spy couldn't help but chat to Vig about some of his other glories, past and present.

Below is what the man behind some of the most important guitar records ever had to say about Nirvana's Nevermind, reuniting with Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic for Foo Fighters' Wasting Light and Garbage's triumphant return.

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On Nevermind...

"We revisited it last year because it was the 20th anniversary and I helped Dave and Krist work on the box set. I think that it sounds as fresh and vital now as it did when it came out. It just completely turned the world on its side at the time because no-one was expecting a record like that.

"It was passionate and questioning and intense and hooky. At the time, a lot of the music coming out of the late '80s was getting very formulaic and slick sounding. Nevermind sounded the complete opposite. I think it just spoke to a generation of music fans. They could relate to it. Even though they didn't know what Kurt was singing about, they still related to it.

"It kind of took the world by storm. I think it still sounds really good. Again, it's pretty simple instrumentation and the performances are so riveting on the album. Kurt's singing and just the way the band plays, I think it holds up. It sounds as intense today as it did when it came out 20 years ago."

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On reuniting with Dave and Krist for Wasting Light...

"It was different in a way but it was really, really incredible - the challenge of making the record. We knew there would be pressure from our legacy and Nirvana. Dave said that early on. People are going to say, 'Butch Vig's working with the Foos, the record has to be great'. I was like, 'Well, screw that, who cares! We're here to make a good record'.

"Dave is absolutely a star to work with, he's just got the greatest energy and vibe, he's down to earth and fun and he's amazingly talented. We did the record in his garage, we did it to tape, so it was a whole different sort of mindset.

"The record became about performances, not so much about making everything sound perfect. The band really rose to the challenge. They knew that they had to be at the top of their game in order to make a great record and they were.

"Every day we walked into the studio, I would just pinch myself. This is the funnest record I've made. It's incredible."

On Shirley Manson's return to music after quitting the industry...

"I know where those comments came from, because she worked on a solo record and the label she signed to - it was a major label - they did not see eye-to-eye with her. She was working on songs that were pretty dark and leftfield and they wanted her to make a pop record like Katy Perry, and she had no interest in doing that.

"They just left her feeling really discouraged and it wasn't until a tragedy- a friend of ours, their child died - and Shirley and I were at the funeral, and we realised how precious life is and how music is really a big part of our life.

"Now we've been playing shows all summer, and I think Shirley's singing incredible and she's completely uninhibited on stage - she loves it. I think it's hard for her to imagine a couple of years ago when she was on this deep hiatus that she was going to walk away from it completely.

"In the back of her head maybe she was thinking that, but she's a natural on stage. She really loves to get up there, so I'm happy to say that the shows have been really, really fun and really, really exciting."

The Emperors of Wyoming is released today (September 17) on Proper Records.